Paris – The nations of the world joined Monday in solemn remembrance of Sept. 11 – but for many, resentment of the United States flowed as readily as tears.
Critics say Americans have squandered the goodwill that prompted France’s Le Monde newspaper to proclaim “We are all Americans” that somber day after the attacks, and that the Iraq war and other U.S. policies have made the world less safe in the five years since.
Heads bowed in moments of silence for the 3,000 killed in the attacks on New York and Washington – while dissident voices said the world has traded away civil liberties and other democratic rights in its war on terrorism.
Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel – an advocate of repairing ties with Washington that were frayed under her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder – had veiled criticism of the United States, saying: “The ends cannot justify the means.
“In the fight against international terror … respect for human rights, tolerance and respect for other cultures must be the maxim of our actions, along with decisiveness and international cooperation,” she said.
Exactly five years after its message of solidarity, Le Monde titled its lead editorial “The Mistakes of Bush.”
In Caracas, Venezuela, about 200 marchers protested what they called “imperialist terrorism” carried out by the United States since the 9/11 attacks.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani wrote President Bush on behalf of the Iraqi people, expressing condolences to the families of Sept. 11 victims.
“On this sad and memorable day, I would like to reiterate the gratitude of the people of Iraq for the people of America and for your leadership,” Talabani wrote. “The people of Iraq will never forget those who helped them in getting rid of the most brutal and terrorist regime of Saddam Hussein.”
In Europe, bells tolled in Rome’s city hall square. Bouquets of white roses and yellow carnations were piled in a memorial garden in London where the names of 67 Britons killed in the New York attacks are inscribed. Relatives tearfully remembered their dead.
“It doesn’t get any easier, but our minds are much calmer, and we can think through all the events without being flooded by tears and sadness,” said Adrian Bennett, whose 29-year-old son, Oliver, was killed.
At a 38-nation Asia-Europe summit in Helsinki, Finland, leaders stood in silence in a circle. The stock exchanges in Nordic and Baltic countries observed two minutes of silence to honor the victims.
Other remembrances took place in Japan, Australia, Finland, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
